Chris Whitty

Sir Chris Whitty
Whitty in 2020
Chief Medical Officer for England
Assumed office
2 October 2019
Deputy
  • Jonathan Van-Tam (until 2022)
  • Jenny Harries (2019–2021)
  • Aidan Fowler (since 2020)
  • Jeanelle de Gruchy (since 2021)
  • Thomas Waite (Interim: 2021–2022; since 2022)
Preceded bySally Davies
Government Chief Scientific Adviser
Acting
In office
18 September 2017  4 April 2018
Preceded byMark Walport
Succeeded byPatrick Vallance
Personal details
Born
Christopher John MacRae Whitty

(1966-04-21) 21 April 1966
Gloucester, England
Education

Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty KCB FRS (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist, serving as Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019.

Whitty was Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and Head of the National Institute for Health and Care Research from 2016 to 2021. He was also the Acting Government Chief Scientific Adviser from 2017 to 2018. He is emeritus Gresham Professor of Physic.

From March 2020, Whitty played a key role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, alongside Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. Whitty was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to public health.